Rail bond



March 11, 193).r R.- s. WALLACE nur. Bonn Filed Feb. 11, 1927 ymmmmummm;

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Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STA Y' ROBERT WALLACE, 0F POCAI-IONTAS,VIRGINIA TEs PATENT OFFICE RAIL BOND t `Application led February11,1927. Serial No. 167,463.

lIl) various other forms, arrangements, combinations and constructionsof which the invention is capable within the spirit andthe scopethereof. I

In particular, although not so limited," the invention is directed tothe solution of certain problems andthe elimination of certaindifficulties encountered in bonding or electrically connecting therails, at the splices or joints therebetween, of railway track of the.types for use with mine cars or similar rolling stock. The general formof rail joint or splice employed with mine car track embodies the use ofopposite fish-plates or splice bars bolted to and through the rails bytransverse bolts, and the usual manner of bonding the rails of suchtrack to electrically connect the same, is to secure a. suitable lengthof yconducting material, such as stranded copper cable, at its oppositeends to the outer sides of the spliced rails at opposite ends of thesplice, with the conductor so secured extending across and spacedoutwardly from the rails and splice to bridge the splice andelectrically bond the rails, as will be understood by those familiarwith these types of track. A

" In the operation and use of mine 'car track formed of railselectrically connected or bond,- ed at the splices or joints inaccordance with the general type of bond referred to above, a seriousproblem in upkeep and maintenance,

as well as in operation of the rail circuits, is

encountered due to the frequent breakage, cutting, mutilation or otherinjury to the rail bonds by the derailment of cars andvresultingengagement of the rail bonds by the 'car wheels or flanges thereof, which engagement is facili- V4tated by the length of the bonds and theoutjward spacing thereof from the'rails at the splices A furtherdifficulty and disadvantageis met with" in the use of such types ofbonding because of the necessity for severing or breaking the bonds fromthe rails to disconnect the same when a rail is or rails are removedfrom the track for replacement,'or where the track or a portion thereofmay be dismantled for any desired purpose, so that i the bonds sosevered or disconnected are rene dered practically incapable of-reuse inbonding other rails or rebonding .the removed or replaced rails.

One of the fundamental objects of the in vention is to overcome theforegoing diliculties and disadvantages encountered With rail bonds, bythe provision of a design and construction of rail bond which reducesand practically eliminates possibility of breakageor injury thereto fromderailed rolling stock, as well as injury through contact from othersources, and which bond vis readily removable from rail bonding positionwithout deforma` i tion or injury, and when removedV is capable ofimmediate reuse and application to a rail joint or splice toelectrically bond and connect the rails.

Another object `ofthe invention is to provide a bond for electricallyconnecting spliced rails which bond is so designed as to form a partorelement of the rail splice and thereby reduce the parts or elementsrequired for the splice with resulting simplicity in structure andreduction in cost of the spliced and bonded rails. j

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail bond foryelectrically connecting spliced rails, which is of simple, durableconstruction capable of efficiently maintaining the rails electricallyconnected under all conditions of service, and which is further designedfor ready application to and removal from the rails and for reuse afterremoval.

With the foregoing general objects, and certain other aims and objectsin view, which will be readily recognized and apparent to those skilledin the art from the folloWingeX- planation,'the invention consists incertain novel features in construction and in combinations andarrangements of elements, as will be more fully and particularlyreferred to and specified hereinafter. V i

Referring to'the accompanying drawings,

in which similar reference characters refer to corresponding elementsthroughout the several figures thereof:

Fig. 1, is a view in side elevation of al rail bond and splice of theinvention applied to and connecting the ends of a pair of rails.

Fig. 2, is a view in top plan of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4, is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig.1.

In the accompanying drawings, the ends of a pair of rails R aredisclosed in alined, track forming position for splicing yor joining, inthe usual or any other desired inannel? familiar in the art, and in theexample hereof therails R are joined or spliced in track formingposition by means of the lishplates or splice bars disposed againstopposite sides of the rails, across the joint between the vrail ends,and between the head and base flange of the rails. Suitable headed boltsB are extended transversely through the s lice bars S, adjacent theopposite ends t ereof respectively, and the rails R, and are secured inposition to clamp the splice bars against opposite sides of the rails tobind the latter in joined, spliced relation, by the nuts B', as will bereadily understood by those famiilar with rail splices upon refer-`.ence to the drawings hereof.

The rails R so joined and spliced are -required to be electricallyconnected to form track circuits for carrying electric currents, andthis is generally accomplished by con- I iecting the rails with anelectrical conductor or bond. According to the present invention, a bondis provided for electrically connecting the spliced rails R, whichembodies, referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings in particular,a bar or rod 10 of suitable conducting material, preferably copper,which is bent or otherwise brought into U.shape form to provide theopposite spaced Iand substantially parallel legs or bolt forming members11, connected by the base or bridge member 12. The bolt members 11 areexternally screw threaded and the nuts 14 are threaded inwardlythereover honto the inner ends ,thereof at and adjacent the base orbridge member 12. The bridge member 0f the bond 10, is bent or depressedin.- warrlly at the central portion thereof betweenU bolt members 11 adistance substantially equal to the thickness ofthe nuts 14, in thepresent example, although the invention is not limited to the extent ofthe depressed Central portion of bridge .12,- This depressed or.reentrant Central portion 0f bridge l2 importantfeatre of the Present.invention and Will be more fully reterred t0 herinaften 'bolt forming''les or ,member l1 0f the` 'bond 'bar 10, is -provided with a nut 15threaded Qntetlieouter @1.15.1 thereof, a

pair of conductor plates 16, preferably formed of copper sheet, althoughnot so limited, are mounted loosely over and onto the bolt members 11,extending therebetween and thereacross. Suitable holes or bores areprovided through plates 16 adjacent their opposite ends to looselyreceive bolt members 11, as will be clear by reference to Figs. I and 3of the drawings. In the example hereof, the conductor plates 16 areformed of a width substantially equal to the width of the splice bars S,with the bolt holes'therethrough disposed approximately along thelongitudinal center line of the plates. Thus, a bonding unit is providedfor application to and as a securing element of a rail splice or joint,in a manner hereinafter described.

With the usual rail splice or joint embodyt ing the splice bars S andthe outer end transf verse bolts B, another set of bolts, similar tobolts B, are employed adjacent the inner ends of the alined rails R, andtraversin the splice bars S and the rails but with according to -tliisinvention, these bolts are dispensed with and rendered unnecessary, thesplice bars and rail webs however, are pro: vided with the usual alinedboltreceiving bores for such bolts, as clearly disclosed i-fn Fig 3 ofthe drawings The .bond unit 0f the present invention, constructed asabove described, is lapplied to the splice formed at the rail ends bysplice bars vS and bolts B, by removing the outer nuts 15 and outercon.'- ductor plate 16 from the bolt members l1 and these bolt members 11 are then inserte in and through the inner bores of the splice bars Sand rail ends, to a position with the inner conductor plate 16 againstthe adjacent splice bar S at the outer' sides of rails R, and the nuts 14 in position bearing against', and forcing said conductor plate againstthe splice bar. The opposite conductor' plate 16 is'placed over thelprojecting ends of the bolt members 11, and the nuts 15 are screwedonto the bolt ends to position forcing the conductor plate 16 againstthe adjacent splice bar and drawing the bond into applied position withthe nuts 14 and 11.5 `thereof clampf ing the conductor plates 16 andsplice bars S therebetween to complete the splice of the rails R andelectrically'connect the same. In the foregoing applied position of thebond of the invent-i011 .an eicient electrical connection is establishedand maintained between the spliced rails R, through the U-shapedconductor bar 10 of the bond, 14 and 1.5, and the conductor plates 16 inelectrical Contact with the rails R through the Splice bars S Due to theconstruction and. arrangement .of the bridge '.12 'between the legs for.splice bolt forming members il, whereby the Cent-rail portion of bridgei12 i.S depressed or bent inwardly toward tlieraiis, inthe presentexample engaging the Cent L@.0mlluctor plat@ 1.6, a preise tion of thebond beyond the outer side of the rails is secured, so that thepossibility of injury to the bond by the wheels of derailed rollingstock, or from engagement with other elements, is practicallyeliminated. This result is further contributed to by the small length ofthe bridge due to the minimum spacing of bolt members 11. The entirebond at both sides of the splice, and particularly at the outer side, isdisposed in close proximit thereto with a minimum projection to catchIor engage car wheels or other objects capable of injuring the same.

The bond further provides an element of the rail splice to secure therails clamped in track forming position through the medium of boltmembers 11 and the clamping nuts 14 and l5 thereof, and thus reduces thenecessary elements for the splice and bond for the rails with areduction in cost. The bond unit is readily detachable and removablefrom the rail splice without injury to the bond, so that it is capableof repeated reuse. The removal and replacement of rails bonded by theinvention is readily accomplished and the original bonds can beemployed, or track can be dismantled and relaid without the use of newbonding, the original bonds simply being again used.

so If desired or found expedient, in place or nuts 14, the inner ends ofthe bolt members 11 can be formed with integral enlarged portions asequivalents and to take the place of the applied nuts 14, disclosed anddescribed in the example hereof.

While the invention is particularly directed to use in track for minecars and such classes of rolling stock, it is not so limited, but is ofgeneral application to the bonding and splicing of railway track orother rails, and the invention intends and contemplates such broad usesand applications.

It is also evident that various changes, modifications, variations andsubstitutions might be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to theexact andspecic disclosures` hereof.

Desiring to protect my invention in the broadest manner legallypossible, what I claim is:

A rail bond and splice embodying in combination with joined rails,splice bars at opposite sides of and across the joined rail ends, and areadily removable rail bonding and splice securing member comprising abar of electrical "conducting material formed into approximately U-shapeto provide spaced bolt members connected at one end by a bridge formingbase, said bolt members extended transversely through the splice barsand electrical conductor plate mounted over and across said bolt membersbetween said clamping members and the adjacent splice bar, an electricalconductor plate mounted over and across the outer extended ends of saidbolt members, nuts on the outer ends of said bolt members with thesplice bars, rail ends and conductor plates clamped between said nutsand clamping members, and the said brid e forming base extended inwardlybetween said clamping members to provide the intermediate portionthereof positioned within and between said clamping members and inelectrical contact with the adjacent conductor plate, the said railbonding and splice securing member with the conductor plates beingremovable from the rail splice without injury for reuse.

Signed at Pocahontas, Virginia, this 6th day of May, 1926.

ROBERT S. WALLACE.

rails at opposite sides of the rail joint with the base bridging therail joint, clamping members on said bolt members at the inner 6 endsthereof adjacent said connecting base, an

